Board logo

What to do with methanol?
Davegtst - 3/10/12 at 03:53 PM

Today i was given an unopened 20 litre can of methanol to dispose of. I haven't got rid of it yet and was wondering if i could use it in any way?

nick205 - 3/10/12 at 04:00 PM

Inject for added vroom...or is that ethanol...?

motorcycle_mayhem - 3/10/12 at 04:08 PM

Transesterify some used cooking oil?

shindha - 3/10/12 at 04:16 PM

antifreeze
drink
embalming

BenB - 3/10/12 at 04:20 PM

I'd put up an Ebay advert for it. I'm sure some local vegediesel person will take it off your hands. Otherwise give it to someone who flies r/c planes. 20L of straight glow fuel costs. Let them mix their own fuels. Great if someone used to fly helis and has moved to planes- don't need the high nitro content or oil content so can mix it with straight methanol.

phelpsa - 3/10/12 at 04:33 PM

Any details about it (what details can you have about methanol?)? A friend runs his hillclimb car on Meth.

snapper - 3/10/12 at 04:56 PM

Meth can run a lot more compression as it won't det
It'll eat rubber fuel lines
You need twice as much air fuel ratio to make it work
You can add it to water injection
It burns without visible flame so very dangerous
It tastes foul even with lemonade and ice
It makes you blind

Fred W B - 3/10/12 at 04:58 PM

Carbed cars will run on fine it with a big increase in the jet sizes. I reckon you will get away with adding a few liters at a time to an almost full tank of fuel in your daily driver

Cheers

Fred W B

phelpsa - 3/10/12 at 04:59 PM

quote:
Originally posted by snapper
Meth can run a lot more compression as it won't det
It'll eat rubber fuel lines
You need twice as much air fuel ratio to make it work
You can add it to water injection
It burns without visible flame so very dangerous
It tastes foul even with lemonade and ice
It makes you blind


Anything that might dictate whether or not he would use it in his car (age, standard etc).

steve m - 3/10/12 at 05:13 PM

Ive stuck most of my old glow fuel in the 7 this year,

went ok!

Davegtst - 3/10/12 at 07:01 PM

Yours is a xflow though,i don't want to take any risks with my busa engine as it would cost a fortune to replace. Would sticking a small amount in the tank of my 2.0 honda accord give any benifit or problems?

Big Stu - 3/10/12 at 07:35 PM

What ever you decide to do with it, treat it with care. The vapours are quite dangerous and methanol poisoning is pretty nasty. We use tons of the stuff at work and have had people taken ill with it. On the plus side the first aid treatment for it is alcohol, in our case 6 shots of black label vodka which is a bit of treat when your offshore.

MikeRJ - 3/10/12 at 08:25 PM

Useful as an additive for water injection systems, or you could make your own screen wash

CNHSS1 - 3/10/12 at 09:30 PM

Flog it to local signwriters, perfect panel degreaser before decals are applied

dhutch - 4/10/12 at 08:20 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Davegtst
Today i was given an unopened 20 litre can of methanol to dispose of. I haven't got rid of it yet and was wondering if i could use it in any way?

Burn it.

Either in an open pot (maybe only 2l at a time) in a garden sprayer as a flame thrower.

But 10% into the petrol for your lawnmower/oldcar/generator?


Daniel

Grimsdale - 4/10/12 at 11:22 AM

quote:
Originally posted by shindha
drink


I hope you're being sarcastic! as little as 50ml is enough to blind or even kill.

I'd use it for degreasing / cleaning, is sometimes useful for lighter oils / semi soluble crud. I use it at work for some things.

[Edited on 4/10/12 by Grimsdale]

[Edited on 4/10/12 by Grimsdale]

coozer - 4/10/12 at 04:05 PM

Leave it outside with the top off, or as suggested put some in garden sprayer and go slug hunting..

Ian Jones - 20/3/13 at 10:14 PM

anyone used it for cleaning/degreasing?

coyoteboy - 20/3/13 at 10:56 PM

Used it for degreasing bike parts for about 20 years, just pour some in a tub and scrub with a toothbrush.

Don't leave it in the garden to evap, too many small animals can be temped by strange fluids and end up poisoned.

[Edited on 20/3/13 by coyoteboy]

unijacko67 - 20/3/13 at 10:59 PM

Don’t drink it or get it even get it on your skin. Don’t add to petrol in a two stroke, I did 30 years ago and nearly blew my moped to bits as it started dieseling and wouldn’t turn off even after puling the plug cap off.

coyoteboy - 20/3/13 at 11:27 PM

quote:

Don’t drink it or get it even get it on your skin.


Naturally don't drink it, but it's only a mild irritant through the skin?!

Ian Jones - 21/3/13 at 04:56 AM

quote:
Originally posted by coyoteboy
quote:

Don’t drink it or get it even get it on your skin.


Naturally don't drink it, but it's only a mild irritant through the skin?!


I'm 99% sure that it can be absorbed through the skin very easy. Best to have gloves on and mask if poss. If anyone needs any, just u2u me as I use to run it in my old impress and have some left over. It is virgin grade stuff and not the cheap remade stuff.

johnny chimpo - 21/3/13 at 09:02 AM

When I used to run a highly tuned Subaru about 7 years ago we used to run 10% methanol in the fuel for 1/4 mile and track days. It definately made a difference and allowed us to run higher boost!

As said below it can be absorbed through the skin so make sure you wear gloves when dealing with it.

mcerd1 - 21/3/13 at 10:28 AM

cook with it



you won't beleve how fast it used the stuff !

RK - 21/3/13 at 12:07 PM

As a somewhat irresponsible child, my neighbour and I put it into his lawnmower-engined go kart, drove it around the local primary school on the weekend, and promptly blew the head right off the engine. But man, did it go when it was working!

BenB - 21/3/13 at 01:51 PM

Methanol is indeed very easily absorbed through the skin. Does terrible things for your blood pressure, vision and kidneys so best to be careful. And it burns without a visible flame...

scudderfish - 21/3/13 at 02:39 PM

quote:
Originally posted by BenB
And it burns without a visible flame...


I remember seeing a video of a car that was running on meths pulling into the pits because it was on fire and the driver leaping out and dancing around as he was burning as well, but there were no visible flames. Very scary stuff.

CNHSS1 - 21/3/13 at 04:41 PM

buy a glow plug engined R/C car, add 15% castor and synth oil mix, 15% nitormethane and use it up that way ;-)

44,000rpm and 3hp from 3,5cc anyone?

(yes those figures are correct, used to work in the industry ;-) )

Bare - 21/3/13 at 05:02 PM

Remember reading a test sequence of "octane boosters' .
Up shot was that DIY adding 5 to 10% Methanol to one's Gasoline was at least and more effective than off the shelf 'Octane Booster' additives.
Typical moderne/recent vehicles specify that 15% is max Meths allowable ..due to fuel system corrosion possibles.

coyoteboy - 21/3/13 at 06:56 PM

quote:

Methanol is indeed very easily absorbed through the skin. Does terrible things for your blood pressure, vision and kidneys so best to be careful. And it burns without a visible flame...


I'm assuming that's with continuous and long term exposure though (or significant single intake), because the MSDS on methanol isn't particularly scary and doesn't mention such issues with skin contact.

I have also spent most of my weekends covered in the stuff with bare hands cleaning car/bike parts or using it as camping fuel (for which there are no special instructions regarding skin contact and spillage) and I've absolutely no ill effects that could be attributed to it. Hell, I've even messed around using it as fire breathing fluid. Stings your mouth like hell but had no other immediate effects of note, though reading the data on it it looks like I was very lucky!

Not that I'm suggesting purposeful exposure where not needed, but I think people panic over these things a bit too much.

[Edited on 21/3/13 by coyoteboy]